Rest Days are Good for Everyone
How Do You Rest & Reset
Growing up Friday night Shabbat dinners were a loose ritual in my household. Meaning that if everyone was around, in addition to eating dinner as a family, we would also recite three traditional blessings before the meal. We would light Shabbat candles as a family, recite blessings over the challah (braided bread) and over wine/juice. Oftentimes on Friday nights we would have delicious challah from the farmers market. And sometimes on Friday nights my parents forgot to buy challah and we would hold a piece of breaded chicken and jokingly say “this is the challah” tonight.
When I went to college I learned more about the Friday night Shabbat ritual from an Orthodox perspective. Many weekends in college I was invited to the homes of the most generous Orthodox Jewish families, where I was hosted without judgement (for not knowing all of the prayers or rituals) and instead welcomed with warmth, kindness and LOTS of food.
It was then that I learned that Orthodox Jews disconnect from all technology from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday. In a world focused around little, big, and medium sized screens — I witnessed how valuable it is to have a reset day. Oftentimes, the men & women I experienced Shabbat with had stressful jobs during the week. I rarely use the word jealous, but in a sense, I envied their commitment to disconnecting from screens not on occasion, but week after week.
All of this to say, this past Saturday I was supposed to have three back to back plans. I wound up cancelling ALL of them & having my version of a REST and RESET day. I don’t like canceling plans and I also knew that I needed to. Instead of exerting energy socializing or exploring, I did the mundane chores, I went on a walk, I rested on the couch, I played on my little & medium screens.
While one reset day did not make life’s stressors disappear, it did remind me of the necessity to slow down. It is okay to slow down.
xoxo,
Amanda
JOURNAL PROMPTS FOR YOU:
When is the last time I put my needs first? Am I well rested? What do I need more of? What is getting in the way? (Hit reply & let me know what comes up for you!)
Speaking of rest, resetting & renewal… Join the Portugal Retreat July 13th-20th 2024. Immerse yourself in a transformative experience of yoga, mindfulness, and workshops designed to nourish your soul.
